St.Leonard’s Church in Bilston, Wolverhampton
St.Leonard's Church in Bilston is not only a worship centre but also
a church from which community work for all the people is done. This work
is partly funded by the Council to create new types of employment and to
regenerate Bilston now that it has lost much of its former industrial life.
The church also offers a counselling programme; a Job Club for young people;
a drop-in centre where food is served daily; and soon there will be a centre
to buy good, nearly-new clothing. The elderly folk who live in the area are
telephoned on a regular basis to check that all is well: this project was
started at St.Leonard’s and has now been adopted throughout the rest
of Wolverhampton. It is a mission-minded church with a strong team ably led
by Revd. Chris Thorpe.
Eight members of St.Chad's Church went to their Regeneration Service in September 2005 (like our Harvest Festival) where we were welcomed and joined in the service. After the service we were escorted from the church to the Parish Hall by a drummer to enjoy a supper with choice of West Indian, Indian and English food, all beautifully prepare and served.
The link with St.Leonard's is proving to be an interesting insight into life in a mult-cultural society , all working together for there area. We look forward to our next exchange visit and hope that the congregation of St.Leonard's appreciate the two-way linking as much as we do.